Eye Contact
by Tamar Caspi
under Relationships
“Um, yeah, my eyes are over here.” I can’t remember the amount of times I wanted to (or actually did) tell a guy that. Not because he was looking at my cleavage or my legs (although that has happened, as well), but because he was scanning the crowd behind me. What was he looking for? It could have been another girl or one of his friends, but it didn’t really matter. The point was he wasn’t looking at me and making eye contact. Eye contact lets someone know that you’re interested. Your follow up questions and witty comments mean diddly squat to me if you’re not looking at me when you say it.
I believe that it is expected to a point – for someone to check out the scene – but there’s a way to do it and a time do it and an acceptable length of time to do it for.
If you’re on a 100hookup pre-“The Talk” then you shouldn’t scan the room. If you’re at a singles event and are talking to a potential Beshert, then you absolutely, positively should not let your eyes leave his or her face. Besides the fact that it’s rude, you’re sending a message to your date, your friend or your partner that the who’s who of who’s in the room is more important than they are. Or that you’re bored and uninterested in them. Either way it’s not the way you want to be thought of.
Eye contact, whether it’s with a boss, a coworker, a family member, a friend or a possible Beshert, shows that you’re confident but more importantly it shows that you respect who you are talking to and want to hear what they are saying just as much as you want them to hear what you have to say. Eye contact is probably the most important form of non-verbal communication. Eye contact is the first form of flirting so why would you give it up once you’re having a conversation? Eye contact – or lack thereof – is a social cue, so make sure you know what message you want to send before you start roving. Simply put: maintaining eye contact lets the person know you’re interested, but a wandering eye means exactly the opposite. But it’s preferable to just excuse yourself and walk away rather than be rude by constantly looking over someone’s shoulder.
That said, ladies need to make sure their eyes are made-up with make-up when they’re on a date or at a singles event because if the eyes are the windows to your soul then the curtains should be spectacular! Don’t leave the house without someone eyeliner and mascara and when you’re dressing up thicken the liner and add some shadow. If you have wrinkles and they make you insecure then look into getting some eye cream or injectibles. Being single is tough enough without being uncomfortable in your own skin. You can’t avoid eye contact so make sure your eyes look great!
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